Batman Debuts New Life-Changing Gadget

Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman #135!Forget Batman’s the grapple gun or his Batarangs; his newest gadget could be the most practical tool in his cache. The Dark Knight may have lost a hand, but his new one might completely change the game for him.

in Batman #135 by Chip Zdarsky, Mikel Janín, Mike Hawthorne, and Jorge Jiménez, Bruce Wayne fashions a gauntlet after his hand was cut off and heads to confront the Joker’s variant Darwin Halliday, aka the Red Mask. But the villain escapes into the multiverse, determined to create more Jokers on other worlds. Bruce pursues him and winds up in The Dark Knight Returns’ universe, and is given a new, mechanical hand by its Batman.

Bruce continues his journey into the multiverse and finds Halliday inside an empty universe where Red Mask has manifested a Gotham being consumed by Jokerized sharks. Bruce and Darwin fight once more as the sharks devour everything in their path. Batman tries to restrain them, but they’re too big for him to get under control. Batman is thrown into the air with nothing to grab onto, so he activates his new hand, triggering spikes from his fingers and palm that allow him to stick to a nearby wall, safe from the sharks.

Batman’s New Hand is a Life-Saver

If there’s one thing that Batman is known for, it’s his impressive array of weapons. Bruce Wayne might not have powers like his allies in the Justice League. But he has quite an innovative mind and has created numerous tools and weapons to assist him in his crusade against crime. Batman’s utility belt is filled with things like trackers, smoke bombs, rebreathers, and pretty much anything that he could use to help him rein in some of Gotham’s more powerful villains.

And while Bruce might have preferred to keep his original hand, it’s hard to argue that this new one doesn’t help him out of a tight spot. After all, Batman wasn’t even using his own utility belt at the time, but rather one loaned to him from the Bruce Wayne of Earth-66. But even if he had his own gadgets, Batman noted that there wasn’t anything for him to grab onto. The hand’s sticker function was the only thing that stood between him and becoming a Jokerized shark’s lunch. Such a life-saving function could make Bruce’s mechanical hand the hero’s most crucial crime-fighting tool going forward.

Batman’s Mechanical Hand is the Best Backup Gadget He Has

Even though Batman is a master of prep time, even he can’t account for every possibility. There’s always a chance Bruce could wind up in a free fall with no gadgets at hand and nothing to help him stabilize himself. And while the sticker function has a very limited use, it clearly does the job of saving Batman when he needs support. Batman does a lot of running across rooftops and fighting while suspended in the water, which isn’t the safest idea for someone who can’t fly. But a hand that can keep him attached to anything could go a long way to keeping Bruce safe when he’s in direct need of a backup. Fans can see the hero’s amazing new tool in Batman #135on sale now.